Notable Alumni

The alumni of Case Western Reserve University have achieved success in countless fields of endeavor. Scientists, and artists alike, have built on the strong education they received at CWRU by following paths of life-long learning that enable them to express creativity, to pursue innovation and discovery, and to serve humanity. Within these pages you will learn the stories of a variety of these remarkable individuals.

The Arts

Franklin Cover (GRS'54, GRS'55, theatre)

Franklin Cover, actor, played Tom Willis on the long-running series, "The Jeffersons." His career has brought him roles in a diverse variety of movies including "The Stepford Wives" and "Wall Street." Most recently he has been seen on TV in such shows as "Will and Grace" and "Mad About You."

Gordon Davidson (GRS'57, theatre)

Gordon Davidson is co-founder and Artistic Director/Producer of the 35-year old Center Theater Group in Los Angeles. He has guided over 250 productions on their Taper Stage and has received numerous awards including: Tony Award (theatrical excellence), LADCC Award (distinguished achievement), The Governor's Award for the Arts, and the 1993 Casting Society of America Lifetime Achievement Award, among many others. Gordon is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and was appointed to the National Council on the Arts by Bill Clinton.

Gary Galbraith (CIT'86, GRS'88, theatre)

Gary Galbraith is artistic director and associate professor of dance at CWRU Western Reserve's Mather Dance Center and a principal dancer in the world-renowned Martha Graham Dance Company, founded in 1926 by the legendary Martha Graham. He has toured and taught in performances and workshops around the world and was on staff with the New York International Ballet Competition from 1993-2003.

Gina Gibney (WRC'79, GRS'82, theatre)

Gina Gibney is the choreographer, Artistic Director and founder of the Gina Gibney Dance Company in New York City. A recognized leader in combining the arts with community initiatives, she has recently developed community-based projects for the company: Domestic Violence Project, Keep Moving, and Moving the Community. She is also the founder of Studio 5-2, a vital center of dance in New York City, and an officer of Danspace Project's Board of Directors as the First Vice President.

Peg Murray (FSM'45)

Peg Murray appeared in 17 Broadway shows, among them "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Gypsy" in which she co-starred with Ethel Merman. In 1967 she won the best supporting actress Tony Award for her performance as Fraulein Kost in Cabaret. She has also written the play, "Alice in Washington" and appeared in numerous films and television shows, acting alongside the likes of Frank Sinatra, Burt Reynolds and Steve McQueen.

Alan Rosenberg (ADL'72)

Alan Rosenberg plays Alvin Masterson on the CBS legal drama, The Guardian. Well remembered for the roles of Eli Levinson in TV's popular drama "L.A. Law", and Ira Woodbine on "Cybill", he received an Emmy Award nomination for a guest-starring role in "ER." A man of varied interests, he was also New York State's backgammon champion in 1982.

Joe Russo (GRS'95, theatre)

Joe and his brother, Anthony Russo (Cleveland-Marshall Law), began work on Pieces, the movie they wrote, directed and produced, while graduate students at CWRU. The film, which also features Joe in a starring role, screened in 1997 at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah and played at the American Film Institute Film Festival in Los Angeles, where Joe received the best Actor Award. In 2002 they released Welcome to Collinwood, directed by the brothers, and produced by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney. In 2004, the brothers received the Emmy award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for their work on the hit series Arrested Development.

Barney Taxel (ADL'72)

Barney Taxel, a native of New York City, has been a photographer based in Cleveland, Ohio, for thirty years. He has previously published Cleveland: Continuing the Renaissance with Towery Publishing. His professional affiliations include the American Society of Media Photographers and the Cleveland Advertising Association. Barney Taxel's work can be seen at www.barneytaxel.com.

Business + Industry

Sarah Short Austin (SAS’62, Emeriti Trustee)

Sarah Short Austin, a graduate of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, is a nationally recognized leader in the areas of public policy and management. She has held three White House appointments to the National Institutes of Health committees, served as trustee of three universities including CWRU, and has served as a director of the American Health Care Insurance Company. Additionally she has held senior positions at the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, General Dynamics Corporation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Urban Coalition. She was the founding director of the Greater Cleveland Roundtable and has held an endowed chair at Cleveland State University.

John S. Brinzo (MGT'68)

John S. Brinzo is chairman and chief executive officer of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., the leading supplier of iron ore products to the steel industry in North America. He is a member of the American Iron and Steel Institute and the National Mining Association and serves on the Board of Directors of International Steel Group. Active in community affairs, he also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Great Lakes Science Center and Kent State University Foundation.

John C. "Jack" Dannemiller (CIT'60, MGT'64)

Jack Dannemiller is the retired chairman of Applied Industrial Technologies and former President and Chief Operating Officer of Leaseway Transportation. Currently he is Chairman and President of the Jubilee Foundation and serves on the boards of U.S. Bank Corp., The Lamson & Sessions Co., and the Cleveland Clinic—Western Region. In 1999 he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management.

David A. Daberko (MGT'70, Trustee)

David Daberko is the former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of National City Corporation where he has worked since 1968 when he joined National City Bank as a management trainee. In addition to National City Corporation, he is a director of both OMNOVA Corporation and Marathon Oil. Mr. Daberko is also Chairman of Cleveland Tomorrow and serves on the boards of CWRU and Hawken School.

Peter A. Kuhn (MGT'88)

Peter A. Kuhn is Chief Financial Officer of IMG Worldwide, Inc. He joined IMG in 1971 after receiving his B.A. from Duke University. In addition to his career, Mr. Kuhn has served on the Board of Directors at Goodwill Industries of Cleveland, Inc., and currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Cleveland Playhouse.

Norbert "Nobby" Lewandowski (MGT'64)

Nobby Lewandowski retired from Lewandowski Zalick and Company--the accounting firm he founded--in 1992 to begin a new career as a motivational speaker and writer. Embracing a speech impediment that once got him fired, Lewandowski looks at his life as an example of "breaking down superficial barriers." He says his secret to success has more to do with character than communication skills. Lewandowski is also co-author of Real World Leadership Strategies that Work, recently published by Insight Publishing.

Edward C. Prescott, M.S. (GRS'64, operations research)

Edward C. Prescott shares the 2004 Nobel Prize in Economic Science with Finn E. Kydland from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of California at Santa Barbara for his contributions to their theory on business cycles and economic policies. Prescott is the W. P. Carey Chair of Economics in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and is also a senior monetary advisor at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank. Known for his seminal work on business cycles, economic development, policy analysis, general equilibrium theory and finance, he is also the co-author of Barriers to Riches which argues that discrepancies in the standards of living across countries can be attributed to barriers that some countries have built to impede the adoption of readily available productivity enhancing technologies.

Donald E. Washkewicz (MGT'79)

‌Donald E. Washkewicz is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Parker Hannifin Corporation. He joined Parker in 1972 as an engineer in the Hose Products Division, and is a member of the National Society of Engineers. In addition to his career, he serves on the boards of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, Cleveland Tomorrow, and MAPI. In 2002 he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Weatherhead School of Management.

Healthcare + Medicine

William Butler (MED'58)

William Butler has authored more than 150 publications in the fields of immunology, infectious diseases, and medical administration. Currently he is Chancellor Emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 1979 to 1996. Additionally he is a Distinguished Service Professor for the College and Professor of Internal Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology.

Theodore Castele, MD, FACR (ADL'51, MED'57, Emeriti Trustee)

"Dr. Ted" was Medical Editor Emeritus for NewsChannel 5, Cleveland's ABC affiliate, where he had presented health reports to viewers since 1975. He was affiliated with Lutheran Hospital where he served in numerous capacities including Director of Radiology and Chief of Staff. In 1999 he was appointed to the first National Institutes of Health Director's Council of Public Representatives in Washington, D.C. Dr. Ted passed away August 23, 2015.

John D. Crissman, MD (MED'66)

John D. Crissman, MD, is the former dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine, the nation's largest single-campus medical school. He is a board-certified pathologist who served as WSU chairman and DMC specialist-in-chief of pathology from 1990 through 1999. As Dean, he orchestrated the consolidation of clinical faculty into a single, 750-member group practice and served as president of Academic Health Center Services.

Gregory L. Eastwood, MD (MED'66, Trustee)

Dr. Eastwood has been President of Upstate Medical University of the State University of New York in Syracuse since 1993. Before going to Syracuse he held faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School and the University of Massachusetts Medical School and served as Dean of the Medical College of Georgia. He has also been a consultant to the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veteran's Affairs, and other organizations in the U.S., China, Japan, Britain, and Europe.

Alfred Gilman, MD, PhD (GRS'69, pharmacology, MED'69)

Alfred Gilman, who earned his medical degree and pharmacology doctorate from CWRU in 1969, shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology with Martin Rodbell for discovering G proteins, which help send messages through the body's trillions of cells in response to certain hormones and drugs.

Paul C. Lauterbur (CIT'51, HON'00)

Paul Lauterbur has been chosen to share the 2003 Nobel Prize medicine or physiology with Sir Peter Mansfield for discoveries in magnetic resonance imaging. Dr. Lauterbur discovered that by introducing gradients in the magnetic field it was possible to create a two-dimensional picture. By combining this knowledge with the analysis of the emitted radio waves it became possible to build up two-dimensional pictures of structures that could not be visualized through other methods.

JoAnn E. Manson, MD (MED'79)

Dr. Manson is Chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine and Co-Director of the Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She is also a professor of medicine and the Elizabeth F. Brigham Professor of Women's Health at Harvard Medical School. She has published more than 400 articles in the medical literature, was named one of the top ten "Champions of Women's Health" by Ladies Home Journal in 2000, and was the recipient of the "Woman in Science Award" from the American Medical Women's Association in 2003.

Ferid Murad, who received his M.D. and Ph.D. in pharmacology from CWRU in 1965, shared the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology with two others -- Robert F. Furchgott of the State University of New York in Brooklyn and Louis J. Ignarro of the University of California in Los Angeles -- for their discoveries concerning nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system.

June E. Osborn, MD (MED'61, HON'97)

Dr. Osborn is the president of the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation in New York. She has published extensively on research topics in virology, infectious diseases, AIDS and public policy related to health acre and public health. From 1989-93 she was chairwoman of the U.S. National Commission on Aids and is a member of the boards of the MIND Institute, the International AIDS Trust, the Center for Healthcare Strategies and the International Advisory Board for the National Academies. Since 1997 she has chaired Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy.

David Satcher, MD (GRS'70, anatomy, MED'70, HON'90, Emeriti Trustee)

David Satcher serves as director of the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. In 1998 he became the 16th Surgeon General of the United States, a position he held through 2002. Of the 17 surgeon generals, he was the second to have graduated from CWRU and was the first African-American to receive simultaneous M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the School of Medicine. Prior to being named Surgeon General, he was the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. President Bill Clinton said of him: "No one is better qualified than Dr. Satcher to be America's doctor. He is a mainstream physician who is an eloquent advocate for the health of all Americans."

Jesse L. Steinfeld, MD (MED'49)

‌Dr. Jesse Steinfeld served as Surgeon General of the United States from 1969-1973. In this position, he was the first public health official in the U.S. to declare that smoking was the number one public health problem, and strengthened the warning on packages of cigarettes; changing it from "Warning: Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health" to "Warning: The surgeon general has determined that cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health." Among his other accomplishments as surgeon general were paving the way for widespread fluoridation of drinking water, and helping to ensure that prescription drugs were not only safe but also effective (previously, they hadn't been required to be effective). After leaving office, he held positions including director of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, Rochester, Minn., dean of the Medical College of Virginia, and president of the Medical College of Georgia until his retirement in 1987.

Theodore "Ted" Gup, JD (LAW'78)

Ted Gup is an award-winning journalist and the Shirley Wormser Professor in Journalism and Media Writing at CWRU In his latest book,The Book of Honor: Covert Lives and Classified Deaths at the CIA, he reveals the names, lives, and history of some two dozen agents killed in the line of duty whose identities and missions were covered up by the CIA.

Michael Palmer, MD (MED'68)

Michael Palmer is the author of two annual consecutive New York Times hardcover and paperback fiction bestsellers, as well as several New York Times original paperback bestsellers including Natural Causes, Silent Treatment, and The Sisterhood. His 1993 novel, Extreme Measures, was the basis for the 1996 movie starring Hugh Grant and Gene Hackman. Dr. Palmer has been a medical practitioner of internal and emergency medicine for two dozen years. Presently, he is the associate director of the Massachusetts Medical Society's physician health program, working with doctors on chemical and alcohol addiction problems.

M. Scott Peck, MD (1936-2005) (MED'63)

M. Scott Peck was a psychiatrist and author of best-selling books for adults and children, most notably, The Road Less Traveled, an immensely popular book on personal development and spirituality. His most recent book, Glimpse of the Devil: A Psychiatrist’s Personal Accounts of Possession, Exorcism and Redemption, was published earlier this year. In 1984, Peck co-founded The Foundation for Community Encouragement, a Seattle-based nonprofit foundation that promotes the principles of community through workshops held throughout the world. His efforts earned him the Kaleidoscope Award for Peacemaking in 1984, the Temple International Peace Prize in 1994, and the Georgetown University Learning, Faith and Freedom Medal in 1996.

Joan Sugarman (CLC'42, LYS'63)

Joan Sugarman is the author of children's books including the now out-of-print Snowflakes. She also sponsors an award for new writers of children's literature.

Andrew Vachss (ADL'65)

For nearly forty years, Andrew Vachss has worked relentlessly for a single cause: the protection of children. His early career included stints running a reentry center for ex-convicts and a juvenile prison, a period in which he came to the conclusion that has directed the rest of his life: "Child protection and crime prevention are inextricably intertwined." His New York City law and consulting practice, which he founded in 1976, is devoted exclusively to representing children. His acclaimed fiction, including the "Burke" series of novels, and nonfiction and textbook writing shine a bright light on the realities of child abuse—all the while advancing strategies to combat it. His lectures and website "The Zero," are additional methods in his fight against people who hurt children. His ultimate goal, says Mr. Vachss, is a broad change in the attitudes toward child abuse and the laws meant to prevent it.

Roger J. Zelazny (1937-1995) (ADL'59)

Author Roger Zelazny, was a pioneering writer of "New Wave" science fiction, a genre that began focusing more on the psychology of characters and imagination than on the harder sciences. During the course of his career he published more than 150 short stories, and 50 books including the renowned 10-volume Amber Series. Popular with both fans and other writers he won many awards including six Hugos from the World Science Fiction Society and three Nebulas, from the Science Fiction Writers of America. In 1977 his novella Damnation Alley was into a film starring Jan-Michael Vincent and George Peppard.

Susie Gharib (FSM'72, Trustee)

Susie Gharib is the co-anchor of the Nightly Business Report. Known for her thorough coverage of business stories, market trends, and analysis, she has more than 20 years experience as a financial journalist. Having begun her career at the Cleveland Plain Dealer she later moved to New York where she turned to broadcast in 1983 at ESPN's award-winning "Business Times". In 2001 She won the Gracie Allen Award for best anchor.

Janet Hopkins (SAS'71)

After nearly 25 years in television, Jan Hopkins recently became Managing Director, Client Communications, at Citibank Private Bank in New York. Before joining CitiBank, she was with CNN Financial News where she served as an anchor person and host of the weekday market program Street Sweep, as well as the weekly show Movers. She was also a frequent guest host for Moneyline. Previously she produced economic news for ABC News and had been a national assignment editor for CBS News. In 1987 her trading floor coverage of the October stock crash helped CNN garner its first Peabody Award.

Barry Meyer, JD (LAW'67)

Barry Meyer became Chairman & Chief Executive of Warner Bros. on October 4, 1999. One of the top executives in the entertainment industry, he joined Warner Bros. in 1971 as director of business affairs for their television division. Previously he had worked in the legal and business affairs departments of ABC Television.

Jack Perkins (ADL'56)

Jack Perkins has served as host for a variety of programs on the Arts & Entertainment network including A&E Premieres, The Time Machine with Jack Perkins, and the critically acclaimed series, Biography. Once named "the most literate network correspondent" by the Associated Press, he spent 25 years with NBC News as correspondent, commentator and anchorman. He was also frequently on the Huntley-Brinkley Report and the Today show and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his coverage of the 1972 Winter Olympics in Japan.

Politics

Florence Ellinwood Allen (1884-1966) (FSM'08)

From suffragette attorney to federal judge, Florence Ellinwood Allen opened many doors that were previously closed to women. In 1919—one year before gaining the right to vote—she was appointed assistant prosecutor for Cuyahoga County, Ohio—the first woman in the country to hold such a position. One year later she was elected as Judge for the Court of Common Pleas. In 1922 she was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court where she sat until 1934 when President F. D. Roosevelt appointed her to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1958 she became the first woman to serve as Chief Judge of a Circuit Court of Appeals. Allen spoke on human rights, cultural relations, and international law and was the author of This Constitution of Ours (1940), The Treaty as an Instrument of Legislation (1952), and her autobiography, To Do Justly (1965). Judge Florence Ellinwood Allen will be inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, NY on October 8, 2005.

Ann Womer Benjamin, JD (LAW'78)

Ann Womer Benjamin served four terms representing most of Portage County in the Ohio House of Representatives before Governor Taft selected her in January 2003 to serve his cabinet as the first woman Director of the Ohio Department of Insurance. In the Ohio House, she served for more than four years as Chairman of the House Criminal Justice Committee. Previously she spent 18 years with the Cleveland firm of Arter & Hadden where she practiced law in the areas of estate planning, probate and probate litigation.

Bruce Cole, PhD (ADL'62, HON'04)

Bruce Cole, a scholar of Renaissance art, is the eighth chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He came to the Endowment in December 2001 from Indiana University in Bloomington, where he was a professor of art history and of comparative literature. He has written fourteen books, many of them about the Renaissance, and has has held fellowships and grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, American Council of Learned Societies, Kress Foundation, American Philosophical Society, Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and National Endowment for the Humanities.

Lieutenant General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (1912-2002) (ADL'33)

Lieutenant General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. became the first black officer to receive a star in the United States Air Force. Davis began his academic career at Adelbert College and then received his degree from West Point, where he graduated in the top 15% of his class. Upon graduating, he was assigned to the infantry then went to Tuskegee as part of a new flight training program. He received his wings in 1942 and the following year became commander of the 99th Pursuit Squadron flying P-40s in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II. The following year as commander of the 332 Fighter Group Colonel Davis led a mission to escort B-24 bombers to targets in Germany during which his 39 Thunderbolts took on 100 enemy fighters. Davis was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his leadership on this mission. As leader of the 332nd, he oversaw over 15,000 sorties. In 1953 Davis took command of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing in Korea. He retired as a lieutenant general in 1970, after which he served as Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Environment, Safety under President Nixon.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones (1949-2008) (FSM'71, LAW'74)

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones is the first African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. A strong advocate for economic development, healthcare, and quality education for all, she served on the House Ways and Means Committee, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics), and is an active member of numerous Congressional Caucuses, including the Congressional Black Caucus for which she chaired its Housing Task Force. Prior to her election to the House, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones served as the first African-American and the first female Cuyahoga County, Ohio Prosecutor. She was also the first African-American woman to sit on the Common Pleas bench in the State of Ohio and was a Municipal Court Judge in the City of Cleveland.

Sally Conway Kilbane (NUR'71, GRS'82, GRS'87, economics)

Sally Conway Kilbane is in her third term of office with the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 16th Ohio House District. In this role she serves as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and is a member of the Commerce and Labor, Homeland Security, Engineering and Architectural Design, and Municipal Government and Urban Revitalization committees. Prior to her joining the Ohio House, she taught economics at Cleveland State University and Case Western Reserve University.

Dennis Kucinich (WRC'73, GRS'74, communication sciences)

Dennis Kucinich came to the public's attention in 1977 when he was elected mayor of Cleveland at age 31; the youngest person ever elected to lead a major American city. In 1994 he returned to politics as a state senator and in 1996 he was elected to congress as the democratic representative serving Ohio's 10th District. Congressman Kucinich campaigned to become the democratic nominee for United States President in 2004 and 2008.

Silumpa Lertnuwat (LAW'99)

In 2005, Silumpa Lertnuwat was elected as a member of parliament in Thailand. Representing Bangkok for the Thai Rak Thai party, Silumpa has said she would push for laws to support women’s rights and improve security for Bangkok residents, adding that her politician father, former deputy commerce minister Samphan Lertnuwat, inspired her to enter politics. Silumpa said Thai Rak Thai’s decisive victory would mean policies materialize faster and more efficiently. Silumpa is a former advisor to the Public Health Minister of Thailand.

James "Jim" Petro (LAW'73)

Jim Petro is a former Ohio Attorney General. As Ohio's chief lawyer, he served as legal counsel to the state of Ohio, the governor, other statewide officials, the Ohio General Assembly, and all state departments, agencies, boards and commissions. In addition to those duties, he issued formal legal opinions on questions of law submitted by elected officials and prosecutors, and provided investigative support the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Prior to becoming Attorney General, Petro served for eight years as the Auditor of the State of Ohio.

Annette L. Sobel, MD (MED'83)

Brigadier General, Annette L. Sobel, is the Director of Intelligence, National Guard Bureau in Support to the Chief, National Guard Bureau and director of homeland security for the state of New Mexico. Prior to her current assignment she served as National Guard Assistant for Weapons of Mass Destruction and Civil Support to the Chief, National Guard Bureau, after entering the National Guard as state air surgeon, Headquarters New Mexico Air National Guard. General Sobel entered the United States Army in July 1986 as a second lieutenant and was assigned as the director of Undergraduate Medical Education in the Department of Family Medicine, Womack Army Community Hospital, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. In addition to her position in the National Guard she is also currently serving as Director of the New Mexico Governor's Office of Homeland Security.

Paul Buchheit (CWR'98, GRS'98 computer engineering)

Google employee #23 & inventor of Gmail. Paul Buchheit is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur. He was the creator and lead developer of Gmail. He developed the original prototype of Google AdSense as part of his work on Gmail. He also suggested the company's now-famous motto "Don't be evil" in a 2001 meeting on company values.

Polykarp Kusch (1911 - 1993) (CIT'31)

Polykarp Kusch graduated from Case Institute of Technology with a B.S. in physics. He shared the 1955 Nobel prize in physics for research on electrons' magnetic strength that resulted in major modifications to atomic theory. Dr. Kusch was a member of the faculty at Columbia from 1946 until 1971. He then taught physics at the University of Texas in Dallas until his retirement in 1982.

Donald A. Thomas (CIT'77)

Dr. Donald A. Thomas, an astronaut with NASA, is a veteran of four space flights--logging over 1,040 hours in space serving as a mission specialist on STS 65, 70, 83, and 94. In 1990 he served as Principal Investigator for the Microgravity Disturbances Experiment, a middeck crystal growth experiment which flew on STS-32. From July 1999 to June 2000 he was Director of Operations for NASA at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Thomas holds two patents, has authored several technical papers and has received numerous awards including: the NASA Sustained Superior Performance Award, 4 NASA Group Achievement Awards, 4 NASA Space Flight Medals, 2 NASA Exceptional Service Medals, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.

Peter Tippett PhD (GRS'81, biochemistry, MED'83)

‌Peter Tippett is chief technology officer at CyberTrust. He has been a leader in the computer security industry for more than fifteen years, beginning with the development of the first--and highly acclaimed--anti-virus software, "Vaccine". In 1992 Dr. Tippett sold his company, Certus, to Symantec which turned "Vaccine" into the incredibly popular "Norton AntiVirus." As one of the leading experts regarding the growth of microcomputer viruses, Dr. Tippett has worked closely with the Federal Government; providing key information to the Department of Justice about David Smith--the writer of the Melissa Virus, advising the Joint Chiefs of Staff on cyberwarfare during Desert Storm and consulting with former computer security czar, Howard Schmidt. Dr. Tippett was also featured in the Winter 2004 issue of CWRU Magazine.